Regression

My eyes are bleary, my head — heavy.

I tried not once, but thrice

to compose myself, to fight the tide,

to compose the words for the

one who would save me from

my delirium, my hysteria.

-

One fair night amidst dear June,

I sat in my chair.

One fair night amidst dear June,

I sat in my chair, at midnight.

As birdsong gave way to crickets,

I sat in my chair, at midnight, in the month of June.

-

I sat atop my life of woe, of ruin.

As the world —

lost in my mental field of thickets.

As the world stood still, silent,

drawn to a light in middle distance.

As the world stood still, silent, under the pale moon —

as birdsong gave way to crickets.

-

A beacon.

To its pull, its draw — no resistance.

A beacon, in the dark,

lost in my mental field of thickets.

A beacon, in the dark, with a dim, dewy, opiate rune.

-

As the blood ran cold, I sighed.

My thoughts did wander, as all was still —

the silent sleep, the quiet keep.

As the worms feast, I look to the east.

-

Great sways of my life pass afore me,

like ships tossed and turned in the sea:

the treachery — the butchery,

the mastery — the alchemy —

a study in the misery I command.

-

Is o’ dark embraces and regret:

Forgive, forget.

Regress. Regress.

-

As my love —

as crickets chirped and foxes cried —

as my love, bright of eyes and soul,

my heart pounded — I heard the lie.

As my love, bright of eyes and soul, laid in ruin,

in my mental field, escape I tried.

-

In the black, the dank corner: regret,

where man is cursed never to forget.

I was reminded of my dearest regret —

of those I love, I did show neglect.

-

My sepulchre, far in some forest, awaits.

As the dead groaned from deep within,

my fate was sealed — to join them in sin.

-

The diction, the cadence, the enjambment;

the coercive, the guidance, my entanglement.

Poets of old lie in the grave for words —

words and verbosity cannot save.

light a candle, let the hymns sing

ring the bell, ring the bell

-

As the birds they sing, the foxes cry,

I glance and gaze upon my dearest love —

at midnight, in the midst of June, sigh.

As the last of me is sent to sea — ashes

tossed and scattered — let thee rest.

Let my body, of dust, tide the splashes,

as my love waits her mortal coil —

for me.

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: This is my entry into the awesome ViM unofficial challenge/prompt Poe-Found, for a found poem based around words found in Edgar Allen Poe's masterful piece The Sleeper. I am a lifelong fan of Poe, so I enjoyed this. As it's focused on June, I am also putting it forward for Mike's Summer Solstice At The Standing Stones - A Mikeydred June Dollar Prompt For All Vocal Creators.

While it is not untrue, it is not autobiographical to my current state.

There is still time to take part, so check these challenges out following the links below.

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